ABOUT THE QUALIFIED TEAMS

ABOUT THE QUALIFIED TEAMS

The goal of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE is to inspire a new generation of viable, safe, and super fuel‐efficient vehicles. $10 million in prizes will be awarded to the teams that win a rigorous stage competition for clean, production‐capable and super fuel efficient vehicles that exceed 100 MPGe (100 Miles per Gallon or Energy Equivalent).

Established automakers, start‐ups, universities, inventors, and even a high school are among the diverse groups of teams representing 14 U.S. states and nine countries. These teams are now one step closer to their share of the $10 million prize purse, to be awarded this September to those that survive the rigorous multi‐stage competition.

Here are their stories:

American HyPower (Centennial, C0) Founder/Team Leader: Mills Snowden/KV Cahill Vehicle Name: ZAMS Fuel Type: Gasoline and Hydrogen Class: Mainstream

American HyPower’s journey began when Team Leader Mills Snowden decided that he was going to do something to change the world. Frustrated with the current energy situation, he reached out to a colleague in the nuclear design world, laid out his idea and got to work.

Mills is a serial entrepreneur with a background in Internet start‐ups and risk management in the oil and gas industry. He is also a firm believer in incentivizing to create dynamic change.

“When you look at the automotive industry, you see corporations where people advance to the executive suites and then firmly close the door behind them,” says Mills. “Those select few at the top, ultimately, keep innovators out. They’re comfortable with the status quo. If you give people the incentive to innovate and give them the opportunity to contribute something, they will. You just have to allow it.”

The American HyPower team started with just four people in late 2008 and has now grown to nine. Team members span the globe and include automotive, racing and aerospace industry personnel, as well as members versed in international business, marketing, manufacturing, sales and design.

What began as a business challenge took on deeper meaning when the team decided to compete in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE in December of 2008. “It wasn’t about signing up to win a bunch of money,” began Mills. “We decided to participate because X PRIZE is an organization that is truly trying to shift paradigms on a global basis from both a competitive and a fiscal standpoint. The whole concept really rang with us.”

Mills calls himself a true capitalist and readily dismisses the idea of building their business on a media image, a path that he believes other automotive start‐ups have chosen.

“This is going to sound harsh, but I could care less about the environment,” says Mills. “Don’t get me wrong, I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I love the outdoors, and I want clean air and good drinking water, but using the environment to sell a product is only focusing on a symptom, it’s not the real problem. I want to deal with real, identifiable problems. From the standpoint of being a capitalist, I believe we can deal with those problems and make money.”

The American HyPower team has already driven their vehicle across the U.S. twice, stopping to talk to the public along the way. Mills’ encounters during these trips solidified his belief that the only way to make consumers change their habits is to incentivize them to do so. This means bringing the conversation about revolutionizing transportation down‐to‐earth, to the gas station and into consumers’ pockets.

amp Motor Works (Cincinnati, OH) Founder/Team Leader: Steve Burns Vehicle Name: amp Fuel Type: Electric (BEV) Class: Alternative

Building an electric car has always been a dream of Steve Burns’. An accomplished inventor, Burns’ previous companies have produced such technologies as MobileVoiceControl ‐ the primary voice recognition software for the Blackberry and PocketScript‐ the first handheld e‐prescribing option for physicians at point‐of‐care. But a few years ago, he decided to set his sights on making his lifelong dream come true, and partnered with self‐described ‘computer geek’ Mick Kowitz to design a computer that would make the car ‘go’.

The partners, along with a handful of others, have been dedicating themselves to developing the vehicles for the past 2‐3 years. They’re working off a GM Saturn Sky platform, replacing the current engine and battery with a new digital system to achieve better mileage. They’ve started to officially take orders, and have started to build them in the way that Burns knows best‐ on their own.

APET‐X (Hong Kong & Taiwan) Team Lead: Andrew Huang Vehicle Name: Salamander Fuel Type: Battery Electric Class: Mainstream

APET ‐ Advanced Power and Energy Transportation is a Hong Kong based company whose mission is to integrate the most applicable technologies into producing the most efficient, economically viable, habitable, and drivable electric vehicles. Team APET‐X is the only team from Asia participating in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE Mainstream division. Its vehicle entry is named Salamander.

The Salamander design adopts an open source to allow all types of power modules, components, chassis,and production planning, to rapidly replicate in hopes of solving the accelerated pollution problems resulting from existing vehicles. Salamander's CANBUS is written in LINUX for all future components to be associated freely, without any restrictions and high entry price, for mass production capability. The openness and versatility of Salamander's platform allows consumers to "vote" with their purchasing power and show their support to the green energy movement. The more people that accept this technology, the quicker a halt can be put to the irreversible process of global warming.

APET is taking the approach and direction of sharing this method of integration, with existing car manufacturers, or any individuals or entities that possess the resources to carry forward the production plan of Project Salamander.

Aptera (Playa, CA) Founder: Steve Fambro Vehicle Name: 2e Fuel Type: Electric (BEV) Class: Alternative

In 2000, Steve Fambro, the founder of Aptera, started taking flying lessons, with a dream of building his own plane when he got his license. However, his wife convinced him to practice his composite skills on something less risky – like a car or a kit car before building a plane. The suggestion clearly sparked an idea in Steve, who soon after began to think about the many ways that an electric vehicle could benefit his daily commute.

In 2004, Steve saw the launch of SpaceShip One, which won the $10M Ansari X PRIZE. Steve figured if a space shuttle could launch in front of his eyes, then surely he could prototype his envisioned vehicle, receive funding and do everything for less than $5 million with a team of five to ten people. Then, Hurricane Katrina hit. Gasoline went from $2‐$3 per gallon to $4‐$5 per gallon overnight, which ultimately exposed our nation’s addiction to oil and the precarious, vulnerable position in which it placed all of us.

Steve resigned from his full time job in 2006 to begin building Aptera. Then a call from Bill Gross, founder of Idealab, changed everything. Gross saw the vision of Aptera. He knew that creating a vehicle that uses 10 times less energy than the average car is not only a disruptive technology, but also the only way to have a measurable effect on lowering our dependence on foreign oil. Aptera is now recognized as one of the fastest growing alternative energy companies in the United States. It is with this same level of passion and determination that Steve believes Aptera will be in the winning circle at the end of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition.

BITW Technologies (Palmyra, IN) Team Leader: George M. Voll Vehicle Name: Vincitore’ 1000 Fuel Type: Bio‐Diesel Class: Mainstream

The BITW team has a straight‐forward approach to solving the complicated issue of improved fuel economy – ‘keep it simple’. Their entry into the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition is a Chevy Metro conversion vehicle. It is also the only non‐hybrid diesel entry.

Team leads, Dan Boyd and George Voll, have known each other since they attended high school in Indiana, a state with deep roots in automotive manufacturing and racing. It is these Midwestern roots that the team adheres to – both Dan and George are balancing full‐time jobs and families, while in their spare time trying to produce a 100 MPGe car. In fact, three generations of their families have lent their talent to BITW’s Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE project.

This self‐funded team’s journey began seven years ago when George started a high MPG bio‐diesel project car, while recuperating from a near‐fatal car crash. Inspired by the announcement of the Automotive X PRIZE competition, George called upon his long‐time friend Dan to work with him to take this idea to the next level. Their build philosophy comes from a college lesson about failure analysis that George recalls.

“The more complex you make a component, the higher the probability of failure,” he says. “We wanted to keep our entry as simple as possible, therefore the maintenance requirements would be kept to a minimum.”

It is this same reasoning that caused them to choose an internal combustion engine running on diesel fuel.

“It’s the simplest solution. You don’t have to maintain it as much, and you don’t have the added weight with the batteries and electric motors. By not reinventing the wheel and choosing as our platform a conservative vehicle that can be easily maintained by most mechanics, we created a garage and consumer friendly car.”

Cornell University (Ithaca, New York) Team Leader: Matthew Robison, Operations Research and Information Engineering Vehicle Name: Redshift Fuel Type: Diesel Class: Mainstream

Initially the brainchild of a Fellows student, Phillip Bell, the Cornell 100+ MPG Team has faced an annual transition in management as team leaders graduate from the university. Furthermore, only a small number of the almost 70 students involved with the team have automotive experience. In fact, the current team has no direct industry experience outside of their advisors: Professors George and Callister who have worked with General Motors and BMW, respectively. While some might consider these attributes a disadvantage, the Cornell team embraces them as part of their strengths.

"While the lack of industry experience is a disadvantage to our efficiency," begins Team Leader, Matt Robison, "it is a direct advantage to our design and it gives us a little edge. When we do things on our own, it takes days, whereas someone who is a mechanic could do it in a lot less time, but a mechanic might take for granted how things work and not be able to visualize a new application of it or how to better adapt a system for a new application. Students, especially engineers who love to tinker, they can come up with new ideas, whereas others might just replace it with a pre‐existing part."

Matt asserts that the Cornell team is not relying on any one break‐through idea to achieve their goals. "We did not want to develop any one new technology," he says. "We want to go with a systems engineering approach where we analyze all of the needs and how the various components are going to interface together so that we make the most fuel efficient vehicle. Nothing should be selected that doesn't need to be there. We want to avoid over‐sizing anything. We created this perfect theoretical component selection and we want to build our vehicle as close as possible to that."

Edison2 (Charlottesville, VA) Founder: Oliver Kuttner Vehicle Name: Very Light Car Fuel Type: E85 Class: Alternative/Mainstream

Oliver Kuttner, a German born entrepreneur, is the visionary leader of Edison2. While he’s made a name for himself in real estate and land development, he has been building race cars to compete in various world class race venues such as the American LeMans Series since 1977. Oliver always considered himself the underdog in these large, high dollar venues, but always performed well.

In 2002, Oliver decided to merge his love of auto with his entrepreneurial spirit and developed a new company, Mass Management, focused on weight reduction in vehicles and the development of light weight components. Upon hearing about the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, he joined immediately, with the intent to enter multiple vehicles (though none of them had been built yet) and quickly assembled a team of the best minds he could find, relying heavily on the recession and the down‐sizing of traditional car racing teams, to develop a group whose specialties include aerodynamics, fabrication, structures, dynamics and internal combustion engine development. This team is developing five vehicles that will compete in the PIAXP; three in the Mainstream Class and two in the Alternative Class.

Edison2 is financed by Oliver and four other “donors” in the Charlottesville, VA area. Oliver’s current goals are to win in both classes of the PIAXP, which he believes he will do, and contribute to the economic and environmental welfare of the United States, the country he came to at age 14, but loves dearly and now calls home.

Enginer (Troy, MI and Shanghai) Founder: Jack Chen Vehicle Name: Hybrid Steam Vehicle Fuel Type: Gasoline and Steam Class: Mainstream

Team Enginer (Enginer, Inc.) is a private business operating both in Michigan and Shanghai. With the mission of promoting affordable automobile technologies that achieve > 100 MPG, Enginer's specialists have been active in product design and development area for over 20 years and in the recent years concentrating on EV / Hybrid and engine waste heat recycling technologies.

Team Enginer has successfully developed SPHEV technology portfolio to tackle current automobile emission problems. The Enginer SPHEV includes four simple conversions: 1. Steam Combustion Enginer (SCE) 2. Steam Micro Turbine Generator (SMTG) 3. Flexible Solar Panel (FSP) 4. Plug‐in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

With its sourcing / production base in China, Enginer is also experienced and competent in production and cost control. During over a decade, Enginer Shanghai has established extensive and stable supplier networks in the Greater China area, which enables delivery of quality and low‐cost products.

Envera (Mill Valley, CA) Team Leader: Charles Mendler Vehicle Name: XP‐2 & XP‐1 Fuel Type: Gasoline Class: Mainstream & Alternative (Side‐by‐Side)

Envera LLC is pleased to announce its intent to compete in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition. The goal of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE is to inspire a new generation of super‐efficient passenger cars that will help break our addiction to oil and stem the effects of global climate change. The Envera Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition car will be unveiled soon. The car features a light‐ weight aerodynamic body, an ultra‐high efficiency variable compression ratio engine and a hybrid‐electric drive.

FVT Racing (Maple Ridge, BC) Team Lead: George Parker Vehicle Name: eVaro Fuel Type: Electric (BEV) & Gasoline Class: Alternative

George Parker, the founder of FVT, has always loved cars. He is a millwright by trade and an inventor at heart. Four years ago, George decided that the world needed a fuel efficient, eye‐catching, fast vehicle to help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. He pulled together his current team of 6 guys who are “always looking to make something better” and began to develop the eVaro.

The FVT team is comprised of independent business owners, who have provided $800K to finance their efforts. What makes FVT unique is their proprietary drive train and battery management system. The team believes that the current technology available on the market is not good enough to meet the fuel efficiency and reduced emissions needs of massed produced vehicles. Their system fills that gap.

When asked what makes them special, the answer (with a chuckle) was their personalities, their ability to laugh in the toughest times, their perseverance, their love of a challenge and their dashing good looks. The FVT team believes that due to their unique technology and combined business sense, they are a top contender for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE.

Global‐E (Mandeville, LA) Team Lead: Carl Guichard Vehicle Name: Pulse & G1 Fuel Type: Electric/Gasoline Class: Mainstream (2)

Global‐E is comprised of 70 aerospace, automotive and manufacturing engineers, entrepreneurs, business management professionals and enthusiasts brought together through their shared love of science and innovation. These individuals have been motivated by current environmental impacts and by the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition to build a five passenger crossover styled vehicle that will revolutionize the Global approach to automotive science. Their company is headquartered in Louisiana, but they are comprised of talents from around the world; Italy, Japan, Brazil, Holland, India, China. Their first manufacturing facility, slated for Louisiana, is being actively pursued with both a committed city and the state.

Global‐E brings both Aerospace‐based design and entrepreneurial savvy to their vehicle and company. This company has a wealth of knowledge and experience and all of the team members have been recruited for their particular skill set. These individuals are scientists, entrepreneurs and business leaders, who have brought new launch vehicles, various commercial and military aircraft, automobiles and personal businesses to successful fruition from the “ground up.”

Seven members of the team have designed and built cars from scratch, built vehicles for the movie and music industry, 10 additional have performed complete vehicle restorations as a business, and collectively, they have over 500 years of experience in working as team players to bring products with the highest of quality standards rapidly to market.

Illuminati Motor Works (Virden, IL) Team Lead: Kevin Smith Vehicle Name: Seven Fuel Type: Electric Class: Mainstream

Illuminati Motor Works is a group of engineers, automotive technicians, graphic artists, and car enthusiasts who have worked on alternative means of transport and alternative energy for many decades in their professional and personal lives. Its members have built electric, solar electric, series hybrid mini Baja, natural gas fuel injected parallel hybrid, and stored air super charged fuel injected vehicles. In addition to the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, the team has competed in the 1995 Hybrid Electric Vehicle and 1996 Future Car challenges.

When asked why they decided to participate in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, each team member echoed the same comment – to usher in a new era of automobile technology that reduces our dependence on oil and creates a better more sustainable future for all. They believe that since they have the ability to make a difference then they don’t have the luxury or excuse not to.

The team was named after a purported conspiratorial organization. Team Leader, Kevin Smith, blames a Steven Seagal movie for perpetuating the myth that the Illuminati has been hiding a 100‐mpg carburetor from consumers. “It’s a conspiracy theory,” he says. “The only way to achieve 100 mpg is through an efficient engine and fuel‐injection system, so that’s what we plan to do.”

The team’s vehicle is named Seven and is an elegant yet sporty vehicle with an electric drive‐train that will get consumers “to work in style and still carry the entire family to the grandparents on the weekend all on less than $100 in annual fuel costs.” It accomplishes this with zero tailpipe emissions, zero noise, and zero to 60 in less than 4 seconds.

The hardest part, the members of Illuminati Motor Works say, has been planning around their day jobs and family lives. Getting funding has also proved challenging as the team is footing most of the bill. Using parts from other vehicles has helped keep costs down, but they’re still looking at a final price of $25,000 to $35,000.

K‐Way MOTUS (Torino, Italy) Team Leader: Stefano Carabelli Vehicle Name: K‐Way MOTUS Fuel Type: Gasoline Class: Alternative (Tandem)

The K‐Way MOTUS project began in 2006 in the Mechatronics Labs of Politechnic University of Turin (Politecnico di Torino) from an idea of its chief engineer and manager, at that time, Stefano Carabelli, and was later developed at Actua S.r.l. and TTW S.r.l., two spin‐off companies of the same University hosted in the I3P of Politecnico (Politechnic University Innovative Start‐up Companies Incubator). Neo‐entrepreneur Stefano Carabelli’s project moves on to today’s shape thanks to the involvement of Turin’s well‐known entrepreneur Marco Boglione whom is sponsoring it with an influential brand like K‐ Way, and thanks to the vision to design the vehicle around the concept of urban mobility: this is where K‐Way MOTUS comes from. K‐Way MOTUS, with Marco Boglione’s support, wants to change personal urban and suburban transportation with its new approach to individual mobility. Now you might wonder how can a clothing company improve a vehicle’s design. The answer comes from the excellent work of Fabrizio Giugiaro, of Giugiaro Design awarded firm, and its intuition to use fabric as the skin of K‐Way MOTUS and to have a 100% cloth bodywork. The concept behind this choice is: don’t overdress yourself to bear the wind chill factor, dress your vehicle. Thanks to the use of light weight materials the vehicle can get a high‐level of performance. Performance increased also by its peculiar “arrow shaped” body developed with the help of studies in the field of aerodynamics Thanks also to its particular driving system for steering and tilting, the vehicle seems to “fly” along the road. K‐Way MOTUS has a full transparent sky dome in its upper part to protect the passengers and to optimize visibility, while the lower portion features original designed windows to create visual continuity and a general sensation of balance and lightness.

Liberty Motors Group (Botkins, OH) Team Leader: Randy Timmerman Vehicle Name: The Liberator Fuel Type: Gasoline Class: Mainstream The Liberty Motors Team is made up of a small and diverse group of people. We each bring our own unique set of skills and expertise to the project. And even though our individual roles may differ, we are all bound by the same basic goal. Both as a group and as individuals, we are all concerned with the current economical and environmental issues that are caused by the use of highly inefficient vehicles throughout the United States and the rest of the world. By using such inefficient vehicles, we each add approximately 5.50 metric tons of CO2e into the atmosphere per year. Thereby further contributing to global warming as well as other environmental concerns such as smog and generally poor air quality. Not only are these issues of global concern, but they can impact the lives of individuals as well. From dealing with "unpredictable weather" to increases in problems with asthma and other breathing illnesses, this is of importance to everyone. We are also concerned about the potential economic problems of using such inefficient technologies. With the long term demand for petroleum products bound to continue to rise and the supply of oil constantly diminishing, it is only a matter of time until it begins to affect the world's economy. Potential problems could range from anything such as skyrocketing fuel costs, fuel rationing, or even conflicts between nations for resources. Again, this not only has worldwide significance, but could have profound consequences for the individual. In the very least, this could cause hardships for individuals and families as expenses for everyday items would increase due to the higher fuel costs. It is our belief, that the only way to combat both the economical and environmental issues that we face is to use new technologies to increase the efficiency of vehicles and use new innovative fuel sources when appropriate. It is our hope to be able to demonstrate some of these very technologies to the public. In that spirit, we have come together to participate in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition. They have made huge strides in raising public awareness about vehicle fuel economy and are encouraging innovation around the world through this competition. We are very proud to be part of this event and encourage everyone to participate in any way that they can. At the end of the day, it does not matter which team gets first place, for it is the public at large who will truly be the winners.

OptaMotive (Ottawa, CA and Silicon Valley, CA) Team Leader: Mark Demers Vehicle Name: Surge Fuel Type: Electric (BEV) Class: Alternative

For OptaMotive, it started in the most unlikely of places‐ a McDonald’s in Silicon Valley when two Canadian engineers bumped into each other and realized they were both part of an elite engineering set called the “Iron Rings”.

The engineers that now make up OptaMotive (there is an extensive team spread across Ottawa and Silicon Valley, as well as throughout the U.S.) came together first in their shared loved of robotics. The group was heavily involved in a reality TV show called Battlebots, which focused on combat robotics. The group of engineers realized that they really enjoyed the challenge of creating their robots, but wanted to parlay that into something that could help the environment, too. Add in a couple of driving enthusiasts, and the decision to enter the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE was a no brainer. The group of engineers remains committed to their day jobs (as engineers) and spend almost all of their down time perfecting the vehicle and the associated battery technology.

RaceAbout (Helsinki, Finland) Team Leader: Sami Ruotsalainen Vehicle Name: Electric‐RaceAbout Fuel Type: Electric Class: Alternative (Side‐by‐Side)

RaceAbout Association was established on year 2001 by the members of Helsinki Polytechnic’s RaceAbout vehicle development team to maintain and develop the RaceAbout prototype vehicle. The competition team consists of students of different disciplines and their faculty advisors. The strength of the team comes from the great passion towards the automotive world and high motivation to create a vehicle on their own. There is also a professional multidisciplinary group of advisors and considerable support from the industry. The university has meanwhile changed name to Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and has 20 years long tradition of making prototype cars. During these years the knowledge and the expertise at the university including its partner network have advanced up to a level to make it possible to carry out the design and fabrication of a production ready vehicle. Electric‐RaceAbout, “E‐RA”, is the current prototype vehicle development project at Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. E‐RA is designed in the spirit of RaceAbout as a sporty and desirable 2 seat vehicle and a clearly identifiable member of the RaceAbout family. E‐RA is designed from scratch to a pure battery powered electric vehicle featuring efficient and simple direct electric rear wheel drive with AWD option and best lithium battery system on market.

Spira (Banglamung, Thailand) Founder: Lon Ballard Vehicle Name: Spira4u Fuel Type: Gasoline Class: Alternative

Spira founder, Lon Ballard, is someone who is dedicated to vehicle safety and appeal as well as fuel efficiency. Back in 1975, Lon began to think about to increase the safety of pedestrians and passengers through innovative car design. His doodling and creativity landed him in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE.

Busy with a career and numerous side pursuits early on in his life, Lon finally put his rough designs into action in 2008 when he began making small‐scale models of the vehicle he had been thinking about for years. His idea to place airbags on the exterior of a small Fiat was an innovative way to add safety to vehicles, while also generating a light and highly fuel efficient two‐passenger vehicle. More than six inches of soft foam on all sides of his Spira4u provide an estimated 1 billion tiny foam air bags for enhanced safety. The 30 pound, foam composite top for the three‐wheeled vehicle is easily removed and the vehicle has even been known to float in water.

Spira uses reinforcing fibers and aluminum to provide a strong, protective cage that is covered with soft foam on both the outside and inside. The belief is that foam can replace steel in cars for a more cushioned impact just as foam has replaced leather soles on most shoes and sandals.

The first Spira model is a low cost, simple three‐wheeled configuration that achieves 100+mpg with an 110cc power plant. Spira is designed to use interchangeable off‐ the‐shelf reliable motorcycle power plants and parts in initial production. The Spira4u is 10 feet long x 5 feet wide x 52 inches tall with two seats and weighs only 302 pounds.

Tango/Commuter Cars (Seattle, WA) Founder: Rick Woodbury Vehicle Name: Tango Fuel Type: Electric (BEV) Class: Alternative

The Tango may appear small, but the car and the brains behind it are not to be messed with. For founder Rick Woodbury, this is a dream three decades in the making. A high school dropout, Woodbury describes himself as a self‐taught man. Soon after leaving high school (“the structure of classes just wasn’t for me”), he started a publishing company called Dharma Press and over the course of seven years grew it into an established and profitable business.

Along the way, he came across an article on hydrogen, and immediately started to think about the possibilities that an alternative fuel could have on the commute. The idea hit home for him in the early ‘80s, when he was stuck in Beverly Hills traffic (he was working at a Porsche dealer by that time), and realized how much space could be saved if all of those single driver commuters could simply get rid of the extra vehicle space that their passenger vehicles had. He began investing himself fully in the idea of a narrow, alternative fuel car, and began presenting his idea to investors whom he had met during his years at Dharma Press. The company’s largest funding in its early days (1999) came from the sale of his beloved sailboat‐ $50,000 got the company off and running.

At 39 inches wide and 8.5 feet long, The Tango is sized to fit two to a standard freeway lane and able to park perpendicular to the curb in a typical street parking situation. It has unprecedented safety features for a passenger car. It is the only car in existence that will fit in half of a freeway lane, with more clearance than a truck has in a full lane. There are currently 12 Tangos on the road, including two owned by the founders of Google, and one of the first ever sold, bought by George Clooney.

Tata Motors (Coventry, UK and India) Team Leader: Matthew Burke Vehicle Name: Indica Vista EV‐X Fuel Type: Electric Class: Alternative (Side‐by‐Side)

Tata Motors is India's largest automobile company, with revenues of US $8.8 billion in 2007‐08. Through subsidiaries and associate companies, Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand and Spain. Among them is Jaguar Land Rover, a business comprising the two iconic British brands. It also has a strategic alliance with Fiat. With over 4 million Tata vehicles plying in India, Tata Motors is the country’s market leader in commercial vehicles and among the top three in passenger vehicles. It is also the world's fourth largest truck manufacturer and the second largest bus manufacturer. Tata cars, buses and trucks are being marketed in several countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia and South America. Tata Motors has always been at the forefront of innovation. It is the spirit of "Questioning the Unquestioned" that has encouraged the company to participate in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. Tata Motors aims to develop cars that are more fuel efficient, cleaner, with minimum impact to the environment and provide exceptional levels of Customer Satisfaction. It is with this vision that we have entered the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition with the Indica Vista EV‐X in the Alternative class.

Team EVI (Charlotte, NC) Team Lead: Ron Cerven Vehicle Name: Wave2 Fuel Type: Electric (BEV) Class: Alternative

Team EVI was launched in 2000, originally under the name Hybrid Technologies. Richard Griffiths founded the company not with the goal to try and sell people on the idea of an electric vehicle, but rather to show them how much fun they can have in electric versions of their favorite cars. From their main facility in Mooresville, NC, everything from scooters, bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, cars and homes are being converted successfully to zero‐emission, lithium‐powered vehicles and facilities.

Ron Cerven, team leader for their Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE entry and project manager at EVI, has extensive experience building and modifying vehicles for television and movies. “A successful X PRIZE may change the automotive society as we know it,” says Cerven. “If the public is shown an electric automobile that can achieve 100 miles per the gallon equivalent range, the impact not only changes the vehicle industry itself, but hidden impacts regarding future oil reserves for generations to come.”

Team EVX (Dallas, TX) Team Lead: Steve Hammond Vehicle Name: smarte Fuel Type: Electric (BEV) Class: Alternative

Throw together a serial entrepreneur, a sharp business mind with a Doctorate in management, an engineer with expertise in alternative energy and a former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman, and you’ve got Team EVI. Founded by Dallas entrepreneur Steve Hammond, who has built several companies and invested in several startups over the years, EVX’s focus in recent years has been on converting existing vehicles to pure electric drive trains. Their focus for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE will be the conversion of a Smart car.

A few years back, Hammond began thinking that there were opportunities for oil and automotive companies to develop longer term energy solutions but he wasn’t seeing action. Always the self‐starter, he set about identifying a vehicle that could solve the environmental and energy problem of the world. He studied all existing technology and concluded that the gas engine would only suit about 10% of American consumers who drive long distances or continuously throughout the day. Hybrid cars only fit for short distances, but the balance would be found in a pure electric cars. He teamed up with Brent Stephens, who leads vendor relationships for the team and Curtis Spagnolo, chief technical officer, along with Phil Pozderac, Engineer and former Dallas Cowboys Offensive Lineman to make his vision come to life.

Team FourSight (Morgantown, WV) Team Leader: Chris Atkinson Vehicle Name: FourSight & TwinSight Fuel Type: Biodiesel/Electric Class: Mainstream & Alternative (Tandem)

Team FourSight is made up of various people from various areas of the electric and traditional automotive industry. In addition, the team includes members with quality, production, safety and marketing experience. The Team Leader and Chief Engineer is the founder of an engineering consulting company focused on advanced vehicle technologies, including next generation engine control, fuel efficiency and emissions reduction. They obtained the degree of Doctor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 1991, and from 1991 to 2000 they were an assistant and then associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at West Virginia University. During thier tenure at WVU they were responsible for the design, construction and deployment of 4 hybrid electric vehicles that set a number of fuel efficiency and emissions standards that are still impressive today. While at WVU they received funding for advanced vehicle research from a number of OEMs and government agencies. The Team Leader is the author of over 30 SAE technical papers in the advanced automotive technology area. In recent years their company has received funding from 4 of the largest diesel engine manufacturers in the US, and the world's second largest automotive supplier. The Sustainability, PR, Media, Sponsorship and Marketing Lead works in the quality assurance department of a major medical software company in Wisconsin. They are a member of the Wisconsin Information Systems Quality Assurance (WISQA), which is a chapter of the Quality Assurance Institute, a worldwide software quality organization. They studied speech science at the Master's level at University of Wisconsin‐Madison and recently completed a Masters program in Strategic Leadership Toward Sustainability at the Blekinge Tekniska Högskola in Karlskrona Sweden. They are currently working towards becoming a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited professional. This group leader has several years of experience assisting in the fabrication of electric vehicles for 'green racing', including co‐driving the EV Class winning team entry for the American Tour de Sol 1999, Team New England SuperForce. They have hands‐on experience in web page development, as well as maintaining spending records for part of the Team FourSight expenditures.

TW4XP (Rosethal, Germany) Team Lead: Matin Miescheid Vehicle Name: TW4XP Fuel Type: Electric, Human Class: Alternative

The TWIKE is a light electric vehicle that has been built in limited‐lot production since 1996. In this same year, the team participated in the American Tour de Sol with the TWIKE and started producing it for the German market. Since 2002 the trio has been the sole producer and worldwide exporter of the vehicle.

As they turned their attention toward mass production, the core team began collaborating with scientists and students from the University of Kassel in Germany to identify a solution. In 2007, the team heard about the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE and convened a meeting of the TWIKE team and its university collaborators and students. After discussing their ideas for a new vehicle and how this might fit with the competition, they decided to form a competitive spin‐ off called TW4XP. They subsequently became one of the earliest LOI Contenders in the competition.

“We see the competition as the ideal framework for the development of a new vehicle, as well as a fantastic challenge and opportunity,” says team member, Andreas Schroeer.

The Project TW4XP (which stands for “three‐wheeler for X PRIZE”) is a hybrid electric vehicle, with the option of using additional human peddle power. According to the team, the additional opportunity to move and train your body with a pedaling mechanism expands the range, but also makes the vehicle fun.

“We are developing a vehicle that is really new compared to the “normal” automobile market,” says Schroeer. “We aren’t converting a normal car for electric propulsion. Apart from its practical use, driving our vehicle will be fun. It will transport you from your daily routine into a different world.”

Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA) Founder: Eric Leonhardt and Brent Wise Vehicle Name: Viking 45 Fuel Type: Gasoline, Electricity, Biomethane/ CNG Class: Alternative

Over the past 37 years, the Western Washington University (WWU) Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) has designed and constructed over twenty vehicles. The vehicles have been built by undergraduate students and faculty at the VRI. Over $7,000,000 has been raised by the VRI in grants from government, industry and private individuals to complete the various projects at the VRI.

So it’s no surprise that the students of Western Washington University would want to enter and win the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. In addition to the students from the VRI designing and building the Viking 45, the team’s competition entrant, they have also partnered with students from the university’s College of Business and Economics (CBE) to develop the business plan and go to market strategy for the Viking 45. The CBE’s focus on social and ethical issues in business blended well with the competitions goal of bringing a production‐viable, super fuel efficient car to market. The team has also enlisted the help of the Communications department at WWU to help with its overall plan.

The team is developing a vehicle platform that can use a variety of powertrain options to meet regional market objectives for fuel efficiency, cost, and reduced emissions. The vehicle structure uses composite materials to form large, lightweight structures to meet safety and weight targets while reducing manufacturing costs. A unique production process enables the team to produce parts with reduced cycle times. Front, side and roll‐over protection is provided by large energy absorbing crumple zones and a strong safety cell for passengers.

Team President, Brent Wise, has attended WWU since 2006 and is currently pursuing a degree in Industrial Technology: Vehicle Design. He joined the WWU XPrize team in 2007 and after a year with the team was assigned as Team President to oversee the completion of the project.

West Philly Hybrid X Team (EVX Team) (Philadelphia, PA) Team Lead: Simon Hauger Vehicle Name: EVX Focus Fuel Type: Electric (PHEV) / Gasoline Class: Mainstream

The West Philly Hybrid X Team (EVX Team) includes students from an after school program of the Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, based in West Philadelphia High School, a public high school serving one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in the city of Philadelphia. For the last 11 years, under the guidance of Team Director Simon Hauger, the EVX Team has built and raced alternative fuel vehicles, achieving remarkable success.

They are multi‐year winners of the famed Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s Tour de Sol, where they’ve outperformed university teams and production vehicles. The students are assisted and mentored by a group of teachers and other adults, along with support from Drexel University, who bring engineering expertise, business acumen and professional networks to the work of building cars and creating opportunity and options for Team members.

As EVX notes, “…we are not marketing the EVX Focus as a high performance vehicle. It is a vehicle that will be sought out by young, urban buyers. This is a vehicle you can use to drive your friends down the shore. It will be the car in the parking lot of the day care center, the farmer’s market, and Ikea. It will look good in the car share lot. It won’t be drag racing down Columbus Boulevard.”

As for their role in the X PRIZE, “Our objectives have expanded exponentially. We must build cars, be prepared to launch a viable business while we continue to support our student Team members as they grow from shy and gangly teenagers into skilled automotive technicians, college students, activists, and entrepreneurs.

WIKISPEED (Seattle, WA) Team Lead: Joe Justice Vehicle Name: SGT01 Fuel Type: Gasoline Class: Mainstream

WIKISPEED team leader, Joe Justice, found a way to merge his work and personal passion in order to follow a vision to create a safe, energy efficient vehicle. As a business consultant in Lean engineering and Agile project management, Joe visits businesses to help them reduce waste in their daily work. He has consulted for the oil industry, the health care industry, the state and federal government and currently consults at the largest non‐profit foundation in the world.

“I am fascinated by those rare design principles that improve productivity and reduce effort or simplify processes,” says Joe. “To find them, I’ve studied animal tracking, martial arts, human factors/usability, lean manufacturing/value‐stream mapping, agile project management and the evolution of automotive design. It is amazing how many old‐thought designs are in common use when there are enormously more efficient well‐known methods solving similar problems right next door.”

Pursuing his passion, Joe tuned production cars for speed in 2006. Like many car enthusiasts, he realized that by reducing the weight of the car, he not only improved acceleration and handling, but he improved fuel economy as well. Joe began reducing vehicle weight aggressively and ultimately abandoned production car frames to create something much lighter. Furthering his commitment to this pursuit, Joe studied road legal requirements, founded a certified automotive manufacturing business and focused on reducing the weight of his vehicle while retaining the safety standards and other requirements for road legal use.

At this same time, Joe became involved in lean engineering and agile project management, which reduced the cost and complexity of his designs and reduced the cost of partnering with vendors. In 2008, with the announcement of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, Joe formed WIKISPEED, which is comprised of a team of volunteers and vendors who are committed to creating100 MPGe vehicles.To build his team, Joe solicited experts in automotive tuning, project management, materials engineering, automotive manufacturing, automotive design, automotive safety, racing, and even philosophy.

One of the greatest challenges that WIKISPEED has experienced during the competition involves balancing its collaborative and vehicle development philosophies with the confidentiality required to compete in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE.

“Before the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE every part of WIKISPEED’s designs were publicly discussed,” says Joe. “This let us gather feedback from a very wide community and provided a visible timeline of where we were investing our resources. The competitive nature of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE has meant that we have to keep some innovations to ourselves, which hurts our ability to collaborate with other people, which is a form of the ‘waste’ I’ve been talking about reducing. Ideally, we could collaborate openly and equitably share rights to innovations.”

In addition to producing a vehicle for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, team members of WIKISPEED have a history of innovation. Members have previously innovated composite 3Dprinting methods and prototyped simplified robotic bipedal walking systems. Currently, in relation to their vehicle, they are developing a minimum cost, modular road legal vehicle. Simultaneously, they are also researching vaccine deployments in developing countries and remote zero‐ environmental‐footprint medical centers.

X‐Tracer Team Switzerland (Uster, Switzerland) Team Lead: Roger Riedener Vehicle Name: E‐Tracer 7002 & E‐Tracer 7009 Fuel Type: N/A Battery Electric? Class: Alternative

The earliest versions of the X‐Tracer team’s vehicle have been driving European roads for 25 years. Created by former SwissAir jumbo jet pilot and aircraft designer, Arnold Wagner, the first prototype was built in 1982. Arnold drew his inspiration from the aircraft that he flew and his long commute between jobs, which gave him plenty of time to dream of alternative modes of transportation.

He is also the designer/engineer of one of the first modern aerobatic competition airplanes, the Hirth Akrostar. The Akrostar burst onto the scene at the 1970 World Aerobatic Championships in England, where it was the talk of the opening day. Wagner flew the brand‐new plane himself, getting the highest scores in the free program and finishing 4th overall. Today, the Akrostar is widely seen as one or even the “grandfather” of all later stunt aircrafts such as CAP’s, Extra’s, Laser’s & Edge’s.

Back to the road, though. The original vehicle, the first fully enclosed cabin motorcycle with aircraft‐design‐composite monocoque, was named the Oekomobil, which was later changed to Ecomobile, making it more appealing to a worldwide audience. This was Arnold’s vision: The safety, room and weather protection of a sportscar with the dynamics, agility and traffic space occupation of a bike.

Upon completing his prototype, Arnold faced a three year battle with the Swiss government to get the vehicle on the road. Unsure whether to classify the EcoMobile as a motorcycle or an automobile, the Swiss authorities held up the approval he needed. Arnold was persistent and finally got Swiss Parliament approval, making the EcoMobile street legal and helmet exempt in 1985. By the early 1990s, the 145‐mph‐Peraves Ecomobile with BMW 1000 cc engine was approved for sale in the Eurpoean Union and production of the vehicle was moved from Winterthur, Switzerland to Brno in the Czech Republic.

After 15 years and the creation of more than 100 hand‐built production vehicles, the Ecomobile was in‐line for a new design. This redesign came just in time as a fire destroyed the Czech factory and the molds of the original vehicle. Undeterred, Arnold and his two sons decided that, rather than re‐tool the old model, they would create a completely new design. That design came with the talent of young Tobias Wuelser, who had the chance to design the new‐age Cabin Motorcycle at Audi in Ingolstadt during completion of his Master in Design.

The team named their second‐generation vehicle the MonoTracer, and unveiled it at the 2007 Geneva Auto Show, which is where they first met representatives of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. In 2008, the 160‐mph‐MonoTracer was named one of Time magazine’s best inventions of the year.

Peraves has a renewed focus on improving the vehicle and meeting and exceeding the energy challenges of tomorrow’s market. The company is under the direction of its new CEO, Roger Riedener, a marketing‐guy but also R/C electric model airplane buff and former car and bike racer, who decided to create a third generation, pure battery‐electric cabin motorcycle called the E‐Tracer. This is the vehicle that the team is entering in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition.

ZAP Electric Vehicles (Santa Rosa, CA) Team Lead: Gary Starr Vehicle Name: Alias Fuel Type: Electric (BEV) Class: Alternative

ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) is a leading distributor of affordable, efficient, 100% electric vehicles in the United States, with a network of licensed automobile dealers throughout the United States. ZAP’s high performance electric roadster, called the Alias, has been entered into the competition and is planned for delivery in late 2010.

The company is run by Steven Schneider, whose flair for adventure, innovation, and independence is fitting for what he calls the most daring automotive venture in history. As a child, he learned a valuable lesson from his parents, who moved the family from Manhattan to a remote island off the coast of South America— the island had no electricity or running water and his parents introduced the first motorized vehicles to the island. He was enthralled by the idea of electric vehicles and upon returning to the U.S. at age 17, he immediately took a job with a Honda dealership to soak up everything he could about automotive vehicles. In 2002 he joined the ZAP! Team as CEO and has brought the company to an entirely new level.

In one of its most recent success stories, last month, ZAP announced that it had been awarded a contract to supply the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with a fleet of its popular Zaptruck XL, a versatile 100% plug‐in electric truck. The FAA will take deliveries of the vehicles in September at a major metro center in the Midwest.